Dangerous Secrets
by Damonficgirl
Summary: Set post "Tough Love," Cat is injured on the job and winds up in hospital concussed and confused. Will she put Vincent's secret in danger? Will Tess and Heather discover too much? If you forgot Vincent's secret could you bring yourself to accept it a second time? Lots of drama but also, hopefully, some "real" moments between the characters.
1. Chapter 1

**Dangerous Secrets**

_**Spoiler Warning - Everything up to and including "Tough Love"**_

**Part 1**

"How is she?" Tess demanded the moment the doctor stepped out of Cat's room.

"Are you family?"

"I'm her partner," Tess lied flashing her police badge. She didn't care that her and Cat weren't officially partnered any more, the moment she'd heard that Cat had been injured on her first shift with another officer Tess had regretted everything that had passed between them. So what if Cat had secrets? Didn't she? Cat had never threatened to out her and Joe. Cat had never been anything but supportive. If Cat said she had a reason, Cat had a reason, a good one, Tess should have listened. Cat was a good cop, in her heart Tess had known that all along, only anger had made her question her faith.

"Well, I'd prefer to talk to family but-"

"Her sister's on her way and I called her Dad, you can talk to me, we're practically sisters."

"As you know she sustained a head injury, she's stable now but she was concussed when she came in and there may be some memory loss."

"Memory loss? What are we talking, a couple of hours, days… Tell me this isn't turning into a bad episode of a soap opera."

"Only time will tell, but hopefully when the concussion resolves itself most of her memory will come back to her. We just need to be patient."

Patient? Tess didn't do "patient," not when someone she cared about was injured.

"I need to see her," Tess demanded.

"It's best if only her next of kin visits, the more pressure her memory is put under the more traumatic the shock. She's likely to be very confused and even frightened when she wakes up."

"Just let me sit with her until her sister gets here," Tess begged. "She'd want me there," maybe that was a lie but she needed to see Cat.

The Doctor nodded reluctantly.

Tess rushed into the room, then stopped at the door, looking at her partner lying in a bed for the second time in as many months. She took a deep breath before walking further into the room.

Tess pulled a chair over to the bed and sat down. She gingerly took Cat's hand in hers and held it awkwardly. "Hey partner," she greeted in a low warm voice. "It's me Tess, I know you're not in a coma or anything but I've got to say this before you wake up because I'm not sure if I'll have the guts too when you do. I'm an idiot, I should have trusted you and I'm sorry I almost got you killed."

"Wasn't your fault," Cat whispered, struggling to open her eyes.

"Hey no fair!" Tess replied, nearly jumping out of her skin.

"Sorry," Cat responded quietly. "What happened?"

"Can't you remember? The Doc said you might have messed up your memory for a bit but I thought you said it wasn't my fault."

"I don't need to remember to know it wasn't your fault," Cat smiled. "You've always got my back."

Tess smiled but then hesitated. "Cat, do you remember why I wasn't there when it happened?" she asked carefully.

Cat shook her head slightly then stopped because it made her vision blur and everything swim around her. "No."

Tess nodded realising what that might mean. "So you don't remember me asking for a different partner?"

Cat looked shocked. "What? No. What happened?"

"Don't worry about that now, you're weak, Doc says you need to rest. It was stupid, just me and my stupid insecurities; you know I've been a mess lately with this whole thing with Joe. Anyway I'll straighten it out, get Joe to fix things so we're back together, this wouldn't have happened if you'd had a chick watching your back."

Cat nodded slightly but she was only half understanding, all she really knew was that Tess was there and everything would be okay. But someone was missing, someone important. She could see his face dancing in front of her mind surrounded in shadows. There was a scar on the side of his face but it didn't make him disfigured, just interest, rugged. His fringe was a little too long but it just made her want to touch his hair. His lips were full but oddly she couldn't remember if they'd kissed, but it felt like they should have. He felt important to her. Was her husband? No she'd remember that surely, boyfriend?

In her memory his eyes changed colours, suddenly yellow, then dark again. It was like a nightmare but it couldn't mean anything, she felt so safe and sure when she remembered his face the way it should be.

Suddenly the memory of his arms around her and his name came to her.

"Vincent?" Cat whispered.

Tess was still perched at her bedside holding her hand. "Hey Cat, you're back. It's Tessa. You kind of drifted off for a bit there girl. Whose Vincent? Was that the perp?"

"No, a guy, my guy, I think. I need to see him."

"So mystery guy has a name after all," Tess smiled. "Sorry can't help you unless you give me a little more to go on, has he got a last name or a phone number? I could check your cell."

"Please, I don't remember anything else," Cat admitted.

Tess nodded, "I'll be right back."

Cat closed her eyes again and gave into the swirling cloud of daydreams and fantasies and memories. Some felt real, some felt surreal, the strange thing was some of the ones that had to be made up felt the most real of all.

When Tess came back she looked confused. "Well his name isn't in your iPhone, but the weird thing is when they brought you in you had two phones on you, looks like the other one is one of those disposables. Any idea what the go is with that? You told me this guy wasn't married."

Then Tess remembered. The torn page. Cat destroying evidence to protect someone. The only people she could think of who used burner phones were criminals, undercover cops, and people in witness protection. She really hoped that Cat and her mystery man weren't in the first category.

"I don't know. Show me," Cat responded weakly.

Tess reluctantly handed over the phone. Cat looked at it. There was nothing in it, no stored numbers, no previous calls, nothing. It was completely blank. Maybe it was evidence? It felt like it was important. Then the phone rang in her hand, jolting both of them. Cat scrambled to answer it but said nothing.

"Catherine? Is that you?" an unfamiliar voice greeted her.

"Yes, this is Catherine Chandler," Cat replied cautiously.

"It's JT. Don't say anything. Vincent is on his way to you, but after what happened last time we thought some extra precautions were necessary this time, that's what took him so long, he wanted to come sooner I promise."

"Who is this?" Catherine asked confused.

"JT? Catherine you okay?"

"I'm sorry I don't remember who you are."

"Holly crap. This is bad. Catherine do you remember Vincent?"

"Yes. He's my boyfriend, I think."

"That's a bit of an oversimplification, but yeah. Okay so you love Vincent, you trust Vincent, right?"

"I think so."

"Cat this call is putting us both in danger but I need to know now. Do you remember Vincent's secret?"

"I don't think so," Cat answered awkwardly.

"Crap. Just stay calm. Stay calm. I've got to go. Catherine Vincent loves you and you can trust him, I'm his best friend and you can trust me too, but Vincent is a complicated guy you know that and you understand his problem. But you can't tell anyone about him. He'll explain more later, just don't say anything until he has a chance to explain himself. You might get a shock but he's worth it Cat, just remember that. And don't tell anyone anything about him, especially not his last name. Promise me?"

"Uh okay," Catherine agreed, and then the line went dead.

"What was that about?" Tess asked curiously, she looked worried, very worried.

"Nothing," Catherine replied too quickly, the confusion still evident on her face. "It was nobody."

"You've got a secret phone just to talk to nobody? Cat you might not remember everything right now but something serious is clearly going on with you."

"I wish I could explain."

"You said that before."

"I did?"

"Right before I asked not to be your partner anymore. Cat I know you don't remember this but I caught you tampering with evidence," Tess whispered in a hushed tone.

"I would never do that," Cat responded quickly.

"You were. You said it was to protect someone. You said you couldn't tell me without putting me in danger."

"I did." Cat paused for a long while, struggling to force her addled brain to work, to make sense of everything, to reconcile these mysterious facts with her muddled memories. It didn't work. She was clueless. Her instincts told her to be very careful because she couldn't undo anything once it was said or done.

"Who is this Vincent?" Tess pressed.

Cat realised she'd already made a mistake. Maybe answering the phone in front of Tess was another one. "I really don't know. It was probably just a dream or an ex. Nothing important."

"Damn it Cat you're lying to me again," Tess complained.

"I'm not trying too," Cat responded, "I really don't know."

"Sure you don't, look I'm going to see if Heather's here yet. I assume you remember your sister?"

"Sure," Cat responded awkwardly. "Thanks," she added, feeling confused and awful all at once.

Moments after the door closed it opened again but it wasn't Heather that walked in. It was a Doctor, with short blonde hair that didn't look quite right and green eyes. Cat couldn't work out why that bothered her. Even his perfect skin looked wrong somehow. He smiled in an overfamiliar way and walked over to pick up her chart, which he read with a concerned expression and then returned to its place at the end of the bed.

"Cat it's me," Vincent whispered as he approached the bed. "Sorry it took me so long to get here; JT insisted I wear this ridiculous disguise." He sat down next to her and held her hand. "I don't know how long we have but I had to see you."

"Why?"

"You know how I feel about you," Vincent replied, hurt by her question.

"How do you feel?" Catherine probed.

"I, I love you. Are you okay Cat? The chart said there was some concussion and memory loss…. You do know who I am don't you?" his tone was panicky.

"You don't look like the man I remember."

"It's the face, and the hair and the eyes, JT made me put all this stuff on. It's still me under here," Vincent reassured her and he pulled the wig off and the cap that was covering his natural hair.

"What's going on? Why do you need a disguise?"

"You don't remember do you?"

Cat shook her head minutely, she looked frightened.

"It's okay. It doesn't matter right now." Vincent soothed. "I'll explain it later, you just focus on getting better. You do remember me don't you? You remember Vincent? I normally have a scar on my face, do you remember that?"

Cat nodded and fingered the place where his skin curved slightly. JT had done his best to conceal it, but when she looked closely the skin looked marred and it had been painted with some sort of stage makeup.

"You remember… caring about me?"

"Yes," Cat admitted.

"Good. I can explain everything else later, just remember that. We trust each other. But no one can know I was here."

"That's what the guy on the phone said."

"Someone called you? What was his name."

"The one you said before." It was on the tip of her tongue but it was gone.

"JT?"

"I think so."

"And he told you to keep my secret?"

"Yes."

"Can you do that for me Cat? Can you trust me?"

"I think so," she answered uncertainly. "You're not dangerous are you? You're not going to hurt me?"

"I would never hurt you. Knowing me is dangerous but I would never hurt you," he promised carefully.

"If someone found out about you, what would happen?"

"I'd be in a lot of danger, and so would they. This secret is dangerous Cat. That's all I can say right now, someone's coming." Vincent jumped up and went into "pretend doctor mode."

"Get some rest and someone will be in to check on you later," he instructed as Heather rushed into the room. He turned around quickly so she wouldn't catch sight of his face in the rush to Cat's beside.

After asking if she was okay about a hundred times Cat finally convinced Heather to give her a break. While Heather was out of the room Tess asked her about Vincent. Heather confessed she'd met him the night before – at the apartment when she'd walked in on them kissing, Cat had shut things down quickly sending him down and telling Heather almost nothing about him. They'd fought and now Heather felt horrible. She did remember that his full name was Vincent Salanski. He'd been Cat's date for their Dad's wedding. But when Tess looked up "Vincent Salanski" there wasn't anything local. Leaving Cat in her sister's hands Tess made her way back to the station. The name Vincent rang a bell but not Vincent Salanksi. She started combing through old case files and notes. Strangely she didn't turn anything up on the computer, but her notebook had a name in it "Vincent Keller" a doctor who'd died in Afghanistan while serving as a solider. His name had been a red herring after a false DNA match. Normally Tess would have stopped there, but with all the clues mounting up that Cat was involved in something big Tess took it one step further and went to talk to Evan about the DNA results.

"What can I say, equipment makes mistakes, even in my capable hands," Evan smiled awkwardly, nervously when Tess asked him about it.

"But that doesn't happen very often or we wouldn't use the stuff," Tess countered.

"But it does happen," Evan insisted. Tess got the creepy feeling he was stonewalling. "If you know something you're not telling me Marks, there will be hell to pay."

"I can't think what you're talking about. Look I know you're worried about Cat."

"Time was you would have too. I noticed you didn't exactly rush to the hospital."

"I was busy here, and Cat and I are not as close as we once were."

"Yes I notice that. I wonder why that is."

"Don't look at me, she moved on first," Evan countered defensively.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Tess agreed reluctantly.

_**Disclaimer: Beauty and the Beast and its characters are not mine. This is a work of fanfiction only, it is in no way authorised etc. **_

_**Author's Note: If you would like to see this continued let me know, while I write for the joy of it I don't have the motivation to continue a multi-part story if there aren't people interested in reading it. Let me know, is this a promising start or a pathetic soap opera rip off? I normally try to avoid the obvious story clichés like "pregnancy scare" or "memory loss" but Beauty and the Beast sort of screams out at you to go there because the ramifications of such predicaments are so much more ripe with drama and complexity than in a 'normal' drama.**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Part 2**

"What happened? I tried to call and you didn't answer." JT was furious.

"I know, I was busy."

"Busy how, busy escaping from police custody? Busy explaining to Cat who you are, which I don't think is a great idea right now."

"I didn't tell her anything, except that I love her and I'll explain later."

"Great that solves all our problems."

"She still knew me."

"That's strange because when I spoke to her she couldn't remember who I was or what your secret was."

"So she's forgotten a few details," Vince sidestepped.

"A few details? Don't pretend you don't know how serious this is."

"I get it. But with cases like this it may only be a few hours before all of her memories come back."

"What if between then and now she starts asking her cop buddies questions about you?"

"She won't," Vincent affirmed.

"And how do you know that?" JT challenged.

"Because I know Catherine. Because she remembered me JT. She remembered my face, my name, she remembered that she loves me. Do you know how important that is?"

"It's great man, and any other time I'd be dancing in the streets singling love songs with you but she's a cop Vincent, have you forgotten what it was like when she first showed up in her lives? I couldn't sleep I was so worried. You've always trusted her, I don't know why, maybe because you're not thinking with your brain when you're with her."

"JT that's enough," Vincent cut in. "You trust me don't you. This is Catherine, you might not have exactly welcomed her with warm arms but she's proven herself to you and to me and she won't screw this up. Stop worrying to so much. She's concussed. If she does say anything she can blame it on the concussion."

"Maybe," JT agreed reluctantly, but Vince could tell he was just keeping the peace. "But we need to keep an eye on her, she doesn't remember me so I could go like to the hospital, I-I could be undercover," JT looked like that was the last thing he wanted to do. He wasn't a man of action type.

"You can't JT, you could run into Evan."

"Right Evan. Okay so what do we do?" JT looked panicked and desperate. Before he'd met Sarah his first impulse would have been to run. To pack up and run, he way he and Vincent had always planned. But now he was just as invested in staying put as Vincent was. He knew that sense of attachment might cost him his life one day soon but he really hoped this day wouldn't be it.

"We give her time. I'll check up on her again, but this time I have to look like me, the disguise just made it harder for her to trust me."

"Whoa, now you're talking crazy, they have cameras all over that place."

"There are cameras all over the city JT. I can do this."

"And what if someone recognises you? What if this is like Alex all over again?"

"I won't go in as a doctor this time, I'll pretend I'm with the water company, no one notices the guys that refill the coolers anyway, least of all doctors."

"You're risking your life based on an assumption that med school graduates are snobs?"

"I'm just saying, Vincent Keller was a doctor, no one is going to pin me to a guy in overalls."

"This is insane."

"She needs to know that she can trust me, she needs to know that I'm worth lying to her friends."

"And if she doesn't think so, what if this time she doesn't think so? What if her memory doesn't come back?"

"It has too."

"Does she even remember the night her mother go shot? I hate to say it Vincent, but this might be your once chance to let her go. She'd be free."

"She'd never be safe from Muirfield. Even if we got her story in the papers – made sure everyone knew she'd lost her memory, they wouldn't trust that it would never come back, we don't know that they aren't watching her already."

"Are you sure about that or are you just hoping that's the case?"

"JT I'm not just being selfish. I wouldn't do that to Catherine."

"I know," JT responded seriously, he could tell his friend was hurt by what he'd implied.

"Okay, I'll let you know how it goes. By the time I've gotten back in there she'll have had a few hours to rest, we could be looking at a totally different situation."

"If we're not, if she freaks out, I'll be ready, if we need to go I'll be ready."

"If I have to run I'm not taking you with me. You've got Sarah now."

"And you think I could protect her for one second by myself if they came after me? I'm too wrapped up in this. I made my decision a long time ago, if you go I go."

"I really wish it didn't have to be like this."

"Hopefully it won't be. Catherine is pretty special. She's surprised me before," now it was JT's turn to force himself to be hopeful.

Vincent nodded seriously. He went to remove the contacts and take off the makeup. Vincent felt physically ill at the end of having to tell Catherine his secret a second time, and sicker still at the idea that she might not accept him all over again. But she remembered him. That was a start. That had to be worth something.

"I love you sis but visiting hours are over," Catherine explained as Heather gave her a hug. "Please tell Dad again that I'm sorry I was so rude to Brooke, I can't really believe that they're married and we're okay with that."

"You are, really I promise. She's actually not that bad," Heather reassured her.

"You'll have to show me photos of the bridesmaid dresses."

"Wait I've got a picture on my phone," Heather said suddenly and pulled out her iPhone and flicked through her photos until she found the ones from the wedding.

"Hey we look hot," Cat grinned, "Did I at least manage to bring a date?"

"That was the strange part. That guy Vincent, the one I caught you kissing last night."

"You caught us kissing?"

"Well just about. It was pretty obvious. It was Valentines' Day. You seriously don't remember?"

"Everything's still pretty hazy," Cat explained, it was true but not the whole truth.

"Well you said you were going to bring him to the wedding, and then when he didn't turn up you said that you made him up, but then after the wedding you kept going on and on about this complicated guy with issues… so when I walked in on you in the apartment, I put two and two together, but you were acting really weird and you wouldn't tell me anything else about him."

"Sorry, I was probably shy, you know how my track record with men."

"Yeah and you know mine, so why do you feel like you have to keep secrets?"

"Sorry sis I don't remember, forgive me anyway?" Cat pouted.

Heather melted. "Only because you've been hit on the head and you can't remember, I can't really stay angry with you when you don't remember it."

"Thanks, while you're being so forgiving, can you forgive me for kicking you out, I _really_ need some sleep?" Cat yawned.

"Okay, okay I'm going," Heather replied, chastised.

Cat really was tired and although she tried to focus her mind once everyone was out of the room she found herself dozing off. When she woke up, big soft fingers were brushing her hair out of her face. Startled she jerked away but then she stopped when a familiar face came into view.

"Hey there," Vincent greeted warmly. "I'm sorry if I scared you. I didn't want to wake you but I promised I'd come back and I can't really hang around too long dressed like this," he gestured to the overalls he was wearing.

"Another disguise?" Cat surmised. "You seem great, you feel important to me, but what are you involved in?" she couldn't afford to beat around the bush anymore.

"Cat I'd rather wait until you remembered on your own."

"I'm not sure I want too, I keep seeing these amazing impossible things, some of them are pretty frightening, maybe they're not real but they feel real. I feel like I'm going crazy and you're telling me I can't tell anyone about any of this. Vincent I remember you but I don't remember enough about you. What do you do for a living? Just tell me something, anything about yourself, because I somehow doubt you really work for the water company."

Vincent took a deep breath. He sat down next to her and took her hand in his. "I was a doctor. And after that I was a solider. But that was all before we met."

"When did we meet?"

"Catherine, what do you remember about your mother, about what happened to her?"

"She was shot. How do you know about that?"

"The night your mother was shot, can you remember why you survived?"

"Someone saved me. Something saved me."

"That was me."

"But I told everyone it was some sort of_, animal_. They thought I was crazy, but I was sure…"

"You were right."

"I don't understand."

"I'm not exactly a normal guy. It's complicated and knowing the truth puts you in a lot of danger. This might be your chance to walk away from this."

"I can't. I need to know what happened."

"Are you sure about that?"

"That and that I need to know the truth about you."

"What if you're not ready? I mean last time, it was a lot to take, and you handled it because you saw the good I can do. You saw the best of me. You saw that I could save people, help them. Other people don't see that. They just see the monster."

"You don't seem like a monster to me. You just told me you saved my life."

"And you've saved mine."

"I have?"

"You really don't remember?"

"I'm not sure what I remember. I remember a lot of things. I remember a dark alley and this guy attacking me and out of nowhere something saving me, something really powerful and not quite…"

"Human?" Vincent finished. "Yeah that was me."

"How?"

"You really want to know?"

"I need to."

"I was part of a secret government operation to create super soldiers. Your mother was one of the scientists involved. They altered our DNA to make us stronger, but it had side effects, big ones. The company they tried to cover it up – I'm the last one left. They killed your Mom to keep her quiet. When I get angry or if I get a rush of adrenaline, I, I change."

"How do you mean change?"

"My eyes, my face, my hands. Eventually I can't talk. I don't know how to describe it and I can't show you here. But you're right – I'm not quite human. Your friend Evan from work found samples of my blood and he said there's animal DNA involved and that the influence of those genes is getting stronger."

"That's incredible and awful and unbelievable."

"You're telling me," Vince replied darkly.

"And I know all of this and I keep your secret?"

"Yeah. You've been amazing."

She paused for a long moment, flashes in her mind. "You've killed people?"

"Bad people. To protect myself, and you and others. I didn't have a choice."

"And I never tried to turn you in?"

"Not once." Vincent wondered if that was about to change. He was practically trembling he was so nervous. He couldn't hurt Catherine to keep her quiet, if she exposed him he'd run rather than put her in danger.

"I wouldn't do that for just anyone. Are you, are you my boyfriend?"

"I'm not sure what we are Catherine, we haven't really put a name on it, but we're in each others lives. We're just sort of working that out, but you know, you must know, I love you." Vincent was vulnerable and terrified.

"I think I love you too," she didn't want to say it but something told her she had too. "That was the one thing I knew when I woke up."

"So you think you can handle this?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"You never stop surprising me Catherine Chandler."

"Well I try," Catherine smiled. "At least I think so. This is so confusing, my head really hurts."

"Let me check your temperature," Vincent offered automatically and felt her forehead with his hand. Her frown lines relaxed at his touch, it was like her body remembered him even when her mind was still struggling to put it all together.

"That doesn't seem very doctorly,"she teased.

"Well I've had to improvise a lot these last 9 years."

"Is that how long I've known you? Because I remember Tess and we haven't been working together that long."

"Not exactly, after what happened with your Mom I kept tabs on you, I watched out for you. But it was only a few months ago that you found out about me. It feels like longer."

"In a good way?"

"In a great way," Vincent smiled.

Catherine smiled back. "This is crazy. I can't believe I'm flirting with you."

"So you admit you're flirting with me? That's a good sign."

"I don't know what I'm doing, it feels like all I've got is my instincts, and my instincts say that I should trust you."

"Well maybe it's not such a bad thing you've lost your memory."

"What does that mean?"

"It means you tend to get caught up in your head. You worry too much."

"Me?"

"Yeah exactly," Vincent smiled. Then he glanced back at the door. "Look your temperature as fine, but I've stayed too long, someone will be in to check on you soon, I'd better go."

"Ok. When will you come back?"

"As soon as I can, can you keep our secret? Can I still trust you?"

Catherine thought about it, but nodded gravely.

Vincent smiled and ducked down to kiss her forehead. It took her by surprise but in a good way.

"See ya," he added as she slipped out of the room.

Catherine closed her eyes, she was smiling, no she was grinning, she felt like a teenager sneaking around behind her parents back not like a mature responsible police officer caught up in what? A government conspiracy? It was insane, but somehow it was her life. The strangest thing was that it was all so easy to accept, at least when he explained it, that had to mean something?

"Hey partner," Tess greeted after a quick knock on the hospital room door. "How's it going?"

"Better," Cat replied. It was the next morning and she was feeling better. The concussion had lifted and she was sitting up in bed. A few memories were still missing or unclear but everything was making a lot more sense. Her guard was up and she knew she needed to be careful to put out any fires that had sprung up while she wasn't herself. Her dreams the night before had been filled with Vincent and she was getting more and more of a picture of which ones were true and which ones were fantasies or nightmares. It was still frightening and overwhelming but she had a sense of herself again and for someone as independent as Cat being clear headed and in control was essential.

"Hey I tried to track down your boyfriend, what was his name again?"

"I don't remember, actually I'm pretty sure we broke up. My memory is a lot better but I definitely remember that I'm single again."

"That doesn't sound right, Heather said she saw you two together last night?"

"What can I say, I'm pretty good at scaring them off."

"Anyway Heather gave me a name, Vincent Keller, I thought I'd give him a ring, let him know how you're doing but I can't seem to find his number."

"Vincent Keller? That doesn't sound right," Cat tried to look worried and confused and certain all at the same time. "Yeah I'm sure that's not it. You sure you're not getting him mixed up, maybe with a case we worked?"

"That's the thing, we did work a case with a Vincent Keller, his DNA turned up at scene but when we tracked him down he was dead. How about that?"

Cat shrugged, fear was rising inside her but she had to stay calm. "Guess Evan stuffed up the evidence."

"But you know Evan, he doesn't make mistakes like that."

"He's not perfect, people make mistakes Tess, cut him a break."

"Did you try Zalanski? I think that might have been his name. But he's from Denver. And he left town."

"Last night? How would you even know that?"

"I remembered, what Heather walked in on was him saying goodbye."

"But all this time you told us this guy was unavailable, you never once mentioned he was from out of town."

"Well he wasn't, but he had to move back there. That's why I've been so upset. Please Tess, just drop it, I really don't want to talk about it."

"Sure. So Cat, now your memory is working so well again wanna tell me why you've been tampering with evidence to protect someone?"

Catherine was shocked. Tess just wasn't going to let it go. The sympathy and concern was gone, Tess was riled up and she wasn't going to back down. "You said it yourself, I was protecting someone. If you'd believed me the first time I told you that, maybe I wouldn't be lying in this hospital bed."

"So now you're trying to make _me_ feel guilty? You have got to be kidding me. I should report your sorry ass."

"Tess I'm sorry. Please just listen. Joe doesn't know about this, no one in our precinct does. It has to stay that way. The person I'm protecting, they're special, they're one of a kind. They are the only one who can provide evidence in a very very important case."

"And how come you work in witness protection all of a sudden? How do I not know about that?"

"I had to promise I would never tell anyone what I was doing. It's too dangerous. I'm the only one he trusts, it has to be me and only me."

"Because you're so special," Tess snorted.

"Comeon Tess this isn't some competition, it's not like I went for a promotion, I just landed in the middle of this case – because of my Mom." Cat was fairly certain she'd regret revealing that much but she had to win Tess over.

"Your Mom? What does your Mom have to do with it?"

"I found another witness. I found out who killed my Mom or at least who they work for, but I can't prove anything unless I protect this person. You have to promise me you will never look into this again. You have to have my back on this."

"And I just have to trust you?"

"Please Tess, you know I wouldn't lie about this. It's my Mom's case," Tess was pleading and pathetic and totally sincere. It was a long moment before Tess responded but eventually she agreed.

"Okay. But if anything else happens, you tell me, I'm the first to know? Have we got a deal?"

"Sure."

"So what's going on, is there going to be a trial or something? Have they pressed charges? Is this like a grand jury thing?"

"No, not now, maybe one day. But at least I know the truth now and that's enough for me."

"That doesn't sound like you Cat."

"Well my perspective has changed a lot. I might want justice but I don't want anyone else to die just so I can have revenge."

Tess was surprised. "You're one hell of a cop Cat, if it was me and my Mom, screw 'em, I wouldn't care who wound up dead if it meant I got to get the guys that did it."

"Yeah well it's more complicated that than."

"You know you always say that when you don't want to explain?"

"I guess I do. But do you understand now?"

"So were you dating this guy? Cause Cat that's seriously against the rules, you could get into really big trouble, it could cost you your badge."

"No, no, I had feelings sure, but I didn't act on them. I think it was just a really emotional time for me and you know not being able to talk about it…" Cat trailed off leaving Tess to draw her own conclusions.

"Well I'm here for you stupid."

"Thanks."

"You want me to see if Joe will let us work together again? I'm worried you're going to get killed working with this new guy."

"Sure, but maybe we should wait a couple of weeks, I don't want to hurt his feelings. He hasn't even been to visit."

"Coward," Tess scowled. "That and I kind of threatened to beat him up if he came near you."

"Seriously? Tess!" Cat objected.

"I was mad. He was incompetent. He's lucky I only threatened him."

"You're not giving female officers a very good name."

"Women's lib can bite my ass," Tess scowled. "The guy needed a good serve, what did he think he was doing leaving you alone with a perp like that."

"It was a mistake."

"Asking for a new partner was a mistake."

"You're not blaming yourself are you?"

"Nah, I was at first, then I remembered that idiot for brains was the problem."

Cat smiled. "Okay new topic, what's going on with you and Joe because even without the concussion and the memory loss I'm confused."

"You and me both," Tess laughed.

**_Authors Note – thanks so much for the reviews and encouragement to keep going. I think I pretty much doubled the length with this installment. There is a *little* more of this, but I'm giving it its own chapter because it really deserves it *hint hint* and that way there's something to look forward to later on. In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed this part. If I was writing professionally it would probably be my job to send Cat running for the hills screaming in this situation but I like to think it says more about her character and her connection with Vincent to imagine that she could hold it together. Plus she did take it pretty well the first time around, all things considered. One of the things that makes this couple so electric is the intense connection they had from the first moment they met so instead of taking that away I built on it (or tried too, i guess it depends what you thought of this). _**

**_Now I *don't* think Tess would totally drop it. I do think she would still be very suspicious, but I think the important thing at this point is that she's backed down and isn't doing anything immediately to put Cat or Vincent in any danger, I think that's the most you could hope for._**


	3. Chapter 3

**Epilogue**

Getting out of the hospital the next morning was easier than Cat expected, they needed the bed, she's been supervised for long enough and she promised to check in with her doctor. It helped that she pointed out she worked with a full qualified doctor, even if he did mostly stick to working with the dead these days. She may have exaggerated her friendship with Evan just a little seeing as he hadn't even come to visit but she figured she could still count on him to drop by the apartment if it was a real emergency, and secretly she knew there was another doctor who would most certainly come running if she called. The more her memory came back the more confident Cat grew in her feelings for Vincent. The truth was not as frightening as it had seemed at first and she felt oddly vindicated that their relationship had survived the not so small roadblock of a little memory loss. The past three days felt like weeks and it seemed like they'd had a chance to fall in love all over again, this time without Alex intervening. The way he'd held her hand at the hospital, the way he'd opened up to her and trusted her and put her needs ahead of his all solidified her faith in their connection.

Slipping away from Heather and the apartment was harder but Heather had just started a new job so it was easier to get away. Thankfully neither her Dad nor Brooke had felt the need to hang around. They were closer than they had been before the wedding but they were all used to leading their own lives.

Cat wasn't really meant to be driving yet but she could hardly get a taxi. She parked a few blocks away and walked the final half a km to the loft, feeling stronger know she was up and about. The head injury had been serious but beyond that she wasn't really badly injured – there were no broken bones, just a few bruises. She'd be back at work in less than a week once they cleared her head injury, it helped that she'd lied a little about her memory lost and convinced them that it had mostly just been a concussion. She knew she shouldn't lie to her doctors but she hated being forced off work and treated like an invalid. Most of her memories were back and the x-rays didn't show any more swelling so no harm no foul.

"It's me Catherine," she told the intercom when JT's startled voice answered her buzz. She heard him complaining as he buzzed her in.

"You're not supposed to do that! Did you forget that? Because you seem to remember where we live," he grumbled.

"He's just cranky because you forgot him," Vince teased.

"Coming here is supposed to be as last resort."

"I know, but I wasn't followed, I took my time. I just needed to see you, both of you."

"So you're okay?" JT asked, finally looking more like a concerned friend and less like a haggard school mistress. "You remember everything?"

"Pretty much," Cat smiled. "Sorry I gave you all a scare. Promise I'll buy you some more Tums?" she gave him a sheepish look and JT smiled despite himself.

"I'm glad you're okay. You had us worried there. Guess I'm getting used to having you around," he admitted reluctantly.

"Well I'm not going anywhere fast."

"I told you JT she was amazing, even when she wasn't sure about everything she was incredible," Vincent grinned as he shyly approached her and took her hands. "So you remember it all now? Everything?"

"Everything about you. And I meant what I said before, I accept you, all of you."

"Because you did look kind of worried at the hospital," Vincent admitted.

"Worried? That's the understatement of the year."

"How'd it go with Tess and Heather?"

"You mean did I give you away?"

"I hate to ask, but I need to know. Do I need to start packing my bags?"

"I think you're okay. Heather remembers the other night."

"What happened the other night?" JT butted in, immediately suspicious.

"She walked in on us," Vincent explained absently, his eyes still on Catherine. "Not like that," he added when he sensed JT was about to have a heart attack or start whooping like a football fan, he wasn't sure which. "Then how?"

"We were about to kiss," Vincent explained.

"Were we? I think you should remind me," Catherine teased.

"Well it was like this," Vincent explained, and he moved towards her. "See you were standing like this, and I was like this…" he whispered.

JT coughed his throat and tried to look busy. "When you two are done making out could you let me know if we need to flee the country? Because that would be something I need to know."

"Its fine JT," Cat laughed. "Heather just thinks he's a regular guy I'll just tell her it's over it'll be fine. I told Tess you're in witness protection and she can't tell anyone about you."

"Tess knows about me?"

"Sort of, she pieced a few things together."

"How much?" JT interrupted.

Frustrated Cat and Vincent stepped away from each other. "She knows he's a witness in my Mom's case but not about Muirfield or the experiment. It's a good thing JT, she's a cop, she would never jeopardise a case. This will work in our favour."

"Sure as long as she never gets drunk and blabs, because cops never drink."

"You can trust Tess."

"JT man you've got to quit worrying. Cat said she sorted it out. It'll be fine. We'll keep an eye on her, what else can we do?" he turned back to Cat. "I'm just glad you're okay." JT groaned with frustration and announced he was going out. Vincent and Cat waved him off but ignored his warnings of gloom and doom and imminent death.

"So we're alone," Cat remarked. "At last."

She smiled. He smiled down at her. They were standing so close together their feet were almost touching. He wanted to say something romantic or eloquent but all he managed as, "Yeah," and then everything was focused on cupping her face and kissing her lips and the touch of her hands on his back. He was lost in her and surrounded by her and floating away. Catherine felt the same way. It was their time at last. They had finally found their moment. There would be time later to worry about the thickening web of lies surrounding their lives together, in that moment all that mattered was that they were together.

FINISH


End file.
